1. Field of the Invention
The invention is directed to a medical device in which at least one device part can be switched between an idle state and an operating state, and to a control method for a device of this kind.
2. Description of Related Art
Generally, medical devices contain electric component parts which consume energy in the operating state and, in so doing, generate waste heat. The cooling of such component parts consumes additional electric energy, usually leads to heating of the surrounding space, and generates noise of varying intensity, for example, because of rotating fans.
Medical devices in the office of an established doctor are typically switched on at the start of office hours and are switched off at the end of office hours so as to be constantly available. In hospitals, medical devices are often switched on round the clock for the same reason. In both cases, the devices, while not in continual use, may still pose significant health risks for operating personnel because of the waste heat and possible noise because they are permanently switched on in the operating state. Above all, more than one device generating heat and noise in one room creates stress which is not always consciously perceived.
On the other hand, with other medical devices, the operating state is not conspicuous aurally or visually so that it may easily be overlooked that a device is still in the operating state after being used, that is, after an examination or treatment and after the patient's visit is concluded. Since devices of this kind do not generate an immediately perceptible burden on the operating personnel, individuals may neglect to switch off the device until the next time it is used.
However, it is generally worthwhile to keep the energy requirement of technical equipment as low as possible in order to achieve low operating costs and a good ecological cost-benefit ratio. Also, medical devices are sometimes operated with storage cells or batteries either in case of a power outage or in areas without electric line voltages. In devices of this kind, it is especially important not to consume energy unnecessarily.
Further, most electric or electronic components have only a limited lifetime which is usually expressed by an average number of expected operating hours before failure (MTTF or MTBF). Therefore, when a medical device which is only used intermittently is operated full-time, the operating costs are higher than when the medical device is operated as needed. In addition, more frequent need to exchange a defective component worsens the ecological cost-benefit ratio of the device.